


how do you say 'fuck you' in flower language?

by e_keshet



Series: a garden of florist au's [2]
Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, F/F, Harry Bingham - mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 16:43:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19872790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_keshet/pseuds/e_keshet
Summary: “My boyfriend cheated on me, and he doesn’t know I know yet,” she explains. “I’m going to give these ‘fuck you’ flowers to him and then explain why.” The girl smiles like she’s satisfied with herself.“That’s a power move, not gonna lie,” Becca admits. “I’ll find the best ‘fuck you’ flowers we have."





	how do you say 'fuck you' in flower language?

**Author's Note:**

> no proofreading we die like men

A redhead storms into the flower shop with a steely look in her eyes. That’s typically not how people enter a flower shop, but whatever. She doesn’t even look at the bouquets they have available before marching up to the counter, where Becca is.

“Hello, how can I help you today?” She plasters on her best fake smile, not wanting to make her any angrier than she already is. She's been screamed at by too many customers in the past, though not usually young women. Unless they're bridezillas. But this girl looks like she's in college, so this probably isn't a bridezilla case. She wonders in the back of her mind if she goes to college here too. She's never seen her before.

“Flowers have meanings, right?” the girl demands. Oh, boy, she’s gonna be one of those girls who wants a super meaningful bouquet that no one will care about the meaning of, that will wilt and die in a week anyway in a vase on someone's kitchen counter. For someone who's somehow ended up working at a flower shop, Becca has grown to hate bouquets. People should just learn how to take care of a potted plant.

“Most people don’t know those meanings unless it’s a rose, but yes?”

“No one needs to know what they mean except me, I’m going to say what they mean.” How romantic.

“Alright, what special message do you want your flowers to have?” It's hard to keep the fake perkiness in her voice.

“As many mean ones as you’ve got.” Becca can’t help letting her customer service persona slip. Her confusion must show on her face.

“My boyfriend cheated on me, and he doesn’t know I know yet,” she explains. “I’m going to give these ‘fuck you’ flowers to him and then explain why.” The girl smiles like she’s satisfied with herself.

“That’s a power move, not gonna lie,” Becca admits. “I’ll find the best ‘fuck you’ flowers we have. What’s your budget?”

The girl shrugs. “I had money set aside for our anniversary that I don’t need anymore. Go big.”

“I like you,” Becca says. Usually, people with money to throw around make her angry, but this girl is, for lack of a better word, feisty. Probably fun to be around. And she does like that more than she hates slightly rich people.

“I like you too,” the girl says. There’s a few seconds of awkward silence where she doesn’t know what to say next, and she’s a little distracted by how this girl has gorgeous blue eyes and long eyelashes. And she’s soon to be single, right?

“So, for your angry bouquet,” she says, snapping herself out of it. Flirting with customers isn’t allowed, anyway. “Yellow carnations mean ‘you have disappointed me.”

“Love that.”

Becca grabs a small notepad from under the desk to start a list. “Right, so yellow carnations. What else… Geraniums mean stupidity.”

“Yes, he’s an idiot.” Becca adds it to the list.

“Pink larkspurs, fickleness. That seems appropriate.” The girl nods. “Orange lilies, hatred. And foxglove, insincerity. It’s also poisonous.”

“Perfect. Is that all?”

“I’ll add some greens for filler, but yeah, that’s all the hate-filled flowers we have.”

“I love it. Will it be ready tomorrow?” she asks, eager.

“Sure thing. We open at nine, if you want to pick it up then.” Becca says. “Also, it’ll probably cost something in the 60s.”

“Great, thank you! I’ll be there.”

“And can I get a name, please?”

“Kelly,” the girl says. “And can I get yours?”

“Becca, it was nice to meet you.” She actually means it, even if she hates most customers.

“Nice to meet you too,” Kelly says. “Thanks for the help.” She flashes a bright smile and strides out the door, her red ponytail bouncing behind her.

She's probably super straight, Becca reminds herself. Then she gets back to work, which currently involves processing a new order of roses, which involves removing all of their bitchy thorns and tearing up her hands. She’ll work on that bouquet later.

***  
Kelly shows up at nine the next day, as promised, and Becca hands over the hate-filled bouquet that she made, as promised. Kelly’s face lights up like it’s Christmas, even after she pays $67.83, plus a ten-dollar bill dropped in the tip jar.

“It’s perfect!” she exclaims.

Becca smiles at her. “I’m glad you like it. Thanks for the tip.”

“It’s so pretty and mean! And of course, anything for my favorite flower shop employee.” She winks. What is that even supposed to mean?

“Have you even met any of the other employees?”

“No,” Kelly admits, but flashes her another bright smile. “But you’d still be my favorite if I had.”

Becca glances at Kelly’s nails. She’s straight. The compliment makes her heart flutter a little, but this is just how straight girls act, and she’s also a customer, so flirting with Kelly is off the table. “Well, I appreciate that,” she says. “Will you need anything else today?”

“I’m good for today, thanks. If I see you again, I’ll tell you how it went!” Kelly says, springing out of the shop again. Becca watches until she’s disappeared around a corner.

***

Kelly doesn’t come into the shop again, so after a week or so, Becca has all but forgotten her entirely. Until she goes to a new hipster coffee place that Sam keeps insistently recommending to her, even though she’s literally always hated coffee.

And when she goes up to order some chai tea (whose proceeds claim to go to some sort of charity), a familiar redhead greets her with a gasp. “Oh my God, flower girl! Wait- Becca!”

It’s hard not to laugh a little at that. “Angry bouquet girl,” she says, trying to fight back the smile growing on her face. Why are straight girls so cute? “Oh, wait...Kelly.”

“That’s me!” Kelly chirps. “So what can I get you today? Hot coffee to throw at an ex?”

The stupid smile on Becca’s face refuses to be subdued. “Just a small chai tea, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She punches it into the register and starts to go back to make the tea, but stops, leaning on the counter and looking up at Becca through her long eyelashes. She has striking grey-blue eyes. “My break is in five minutes if you want to hang around for a while?”

She’s fidgeting with her hands, like she’s actually nervous to ask. Becca looks at her nails again. Definitely too long, but maybe she’s a pillow princess.

“Sounds great,” she says.

Kelly beams. “Yay! I’ll go make your tea,” she says, and darts to the other side of the area behind the counter. Becca idles where she is since there’s no line, just drumming her fingers on the counter.

A few minutes later, Kelly comes back out and leads her to a nearby table, two drinks in hand. She nudges Becca’s tea towards her.

“I didn’t get to pay,” she realizes, fumbling for her wallet. She starts to head back to the register when Kelly grabs her arm.

“I covered it already,” she reassures her.

“Oh. Thank you,” she says, returning to her chair. “So… how did the thing with your boyfriend go?”

“Just as planned,” Kelly says with a smug smile. “He was so shocked that I’d found out. Tried to make some weird excuses about how technically we never said we were exclusive. What bullshit, right? We’d been together for almost a year, it’s common sense.”

“Anyone who cheats on you doesn’t have any common sense.” Why does Becca have literally no filter? You can’t flirt with someone that just got out of a relationship.

Luckily, Kelly keeps talking like she almost didn’t notice Becca said anything. “The weird thing is, I don’t even care that much. Like, I’m more upset because I know that cheating is fucked up than because I care about him or whatever. It sort of feels like I was just with him because I felt like I should be.” She stops to take a drink. “That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

“Maybe he’s just not your type,” Becca suggests.

“Maybe guys aren’t my type.” Wait, what? It’s so quiet she barely hears it. Maybe she heard it wrong.

“I was talking to one of my friends and she said she felt like that when she had a boyfriend, but when she dated a girl it was different,” she continues, barely any louder. Like she’s talking to herself more than Becca, looking down at her hands around her cup. “Maybe it’s the same for me.”

Liquid courage is usually a nickname used for alcohol, but maybe chai tea has some bravery in it too.

“Do you wanna test that theory?”

Kelly’s head jerks up, her eyes wide. “Are you asking me out?”

Maybe chai tea isn’t as brave as whiskey.

“Depends. If you say yes, then yeah. If it’s a no, then I was totally joking,” she quips. It gets a little smile out of Kelly, though she still looks very much like a deer in headlights.

“Is that a yes?”

“I dunno,” Kelly says, relaxing into her seat. Back into the confident girl that demanded a ‘fuck you’ bouquet. “Do I get to hold your hand?”

“I’ve heard that’s what people do when they’re going out, yeah. Maybe a hug, if you can stand it.” She is usually terrible at flirting. Absolutely miserable at it. But this seems to be going well, somehow. Her heart is pounding in her ears, but her voice isn’t shaking.

Kelly grins. “How exciting. Maybe a kiss at some point.”

“At some point,” Becca echoes.

“Yes,” Kelly says, after a moment.

“Yes?”

Without answering, she reaches across and laces her fingers through Becca’s. Which is all the answer she needs.

**Author's Note:**

> i just needed this out of my drafts i'm tired of having this tab open thank you and enjoy leave a kudos and comment if u enjoyed. as for this series of flower shop au's, kelly and elle are next, eventually.


End file.
